As John Pennington points out, one of the dumber tactical moves we’ve seen this season is players calling out Alabama in one form or fashion.

Speaking of Alabama, here’s a tip for teams going up against the Tide — zip your lips. Earlier this season Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace said his team could “put points on them… I think we can put points on anybody.” Final score: Alabama 25, Ole Miss 0. Three weeks ago Tennessee referred to Alabama as “the red team” in practice. AJ McCarron said his team took that as an insult. Final score: Alabama 45, Tennessee 10. Last week LSU receiver Jarvis Landry said of Bama: “Nobody is invincible. Not team is invincible and no defense is invincible.” Final score: Alabama 38, LSU 21. The lesson is clear — shut up. People talk about teams having “swagger” — the most overused word of the 21st century — and showing that swagger with their tough talk. Well, other teams’ swagger hasn’t helped them much against Alabama this season. It’s better to talk after you’ve proved yourself than before.

I can’t fathom what part of Landry’s statement is provocative. What’s he supposed to say? Bama is invincible and there’s no point in us showing up?

Also, the stupid premise of this article is that Bama plays better when another team calls them out. It seems to me that the Tide hand out beatings to opponents regardless of whether there is an outrageous talk of non-invincibility in the week leading up to the game.

Teams loaded with talent can lose focus, which is how 22-point-underdog-with-a-3rd-string-QB-Stanford goes into USC and beats one of Carroll’s better USC squads – or App State beats Michigan.

Guarantee you that doesn’t happen if someone at Palo Alto was yapping about USC pre-game. Just smile and say, “Yeah, they’re great.” If you believe it, that should be enough. How does seeing it in print help the yapper at all?

Be my guest BD, we need any help we can get. But I doubt anybody at Awbun will oblige, although it is early, and who knows? Maybe ole Pet will stumble off the banks of Saugahatchee Creek long enough to make some profound question of Georgia’s manhood.

What’s the general consensus among Bama fans, BD? Do y’all root for Auburn to lose every game no matter what? Or would y’all rather have Auburn come into your game riding high, so beating them will be even sweeter?

Auburn/UGA game doesn’t matter a bit to the Iron Bowl. If Auburn loses to UGA they would still own the tie breaker over Bama with a victory, and would hold the tie breaker over both Bama and A&M in a three way because their loss would be out of the division. For the delusional, they will not get to Pasadena under any circumstance, and losing to UGA will not impact their chance at the Sugar Bowl as they would still control their destiny by winning the SECCG. Beyond that, the other bowl implications are irrelevant as bowl money is split between all SEC schools and the SEC office. It would probably help the Tide if they beat us, but my suggestion is to rest all their starters for the Iron Bowl (that would please those who think CFB teams would actually do that once other goals are sewn up. Ain’t happening, never has at this level that I can recall.)

Boy, that was a fast catch. I realized just as I hit the “post comment” button and tried to cover it up. Listening to them you would think they haven’t lost since the Y2K, maybe that is why I forgot there one stumble this year. I hope we show up this weekend and rip that running game to shreds. Could happen if we stay disciplined.

Oops sorry, cancel the above…forgot about their LSU loss and was thinking they would have equal number of conference losses. Brain dead with all this frigid air rolling in. Still recommend they rest their starters, beating Bama should trump all else for them!

As someone who has lived in Ohio for the last ten years and about twenty miles fro the OSU campus for the last three, I have grown to despise OSU and their fans more than just about any other school/fanbase in college football. It was bad enough when Tressel was the coach but now that Corch has taken over they’re even more arrogant and unbearable. Part of me hopes that they make it to the MNC game and get blown out again by another SEC team. Then another part of me hopes that they go undefeated, get shut out of the MNC game, and then get blown out by a lesser team than the one Evan Spencer just claimed they would blow out. God, I really can’t stand OSU.

I think what has been happening is that the leaders of the team (McCarron and Mosley especially) realize that the young guys are a little bored and overconfident after a string of blowouts and yawners. So they look for things they can use to fire them up. They may be silly and stupid things, but they focus attention and keep the team from looking too far ahead. If that is what’s going on, it’s pretty brilliant.